pcAnywhere

General Information

Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

Website:	Go to site
Description:	pcAnywhere provides flexible and secure remote desktop access to facilitate troubleshooting and quick remediation, overcome user errors, and decrease problem resolution time. This product has reached End Of Life for all versions and is no longer available from the vendor.
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements:	Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information:	This technology has not been assessed by the Section 508 Office. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v19.8
Decision Date:	08/23/2019 at 14:08:25 UTC
Aliases:	Symantec pcAnywhere
Introduced By:
Vendor Name:	Symantec

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

Version	Release Date	Vendor End of Life Date
12.5	10/15/2008	11/03/2015
12.5.4	04/10/2012	11/03/2015
12.6.7	04/10/2012	10/03/2016
12.6.8	06/02/2014	10/03/2016

Current Decision Matrix (08/19/2019)

Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

The VA Decision Matrix displays the current and future VA IT position regarding different releases of a TRM entry. These decisions are based upon the best information available as of the most current date. The consumer of this information has the responsibility to consult the organizations responsible for the desktop, testing, and/or production environments to ensure that the target version of the technology will be supported. Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered unapproved for use.

Legend:

White	Approved: The technology/standard has been approved for use.
Yellow	Approved w/Constraints: The technology/standard can be used within the specified constraints located below the decision matrix in the footnote[1] and on the General tab.
Gray	Unapproved: This technology or standard can be used only if a POA&M review is conducted and signed by the Authorizing Official Designated Representative (AODR) as designated by the Authorizing Official (AO) or designee and based upon a recommendation from the POA&M Compliance Enforcement, has been granted to the project team or organization that wishes to use the technology.
Orange	Divest: VA has decided to divest itself on the use of the technology/standard. As a result, all projects currently utilizing the technology/standard must plan to eliminate their use of the technology/standard. Additional information on when the entry is projected to become unapproved may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Prohibited: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Planning/Evaluation Constraint:The period of time this technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population. If a customer would like to use this technology, please work with your local or Regional OI&T office and contact the appropriate evaluation office displayed in the notes below the decision matrix. The Local or Regional OI&T office should submit an inquiry to the TRM if they require further assistance or if the evaluating office is not listed in the notes below.

Release/Version Information:

VA decisions for specific versions may include a ‘.x’ wildcard, which denotes a decision that pertains to a range of multiple versions.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 7.x would cover any version of 7.(Anything) - 7.(Anything). However, a 7.4.x decision would cover any version of 7.4.(Anything), but would not cover any version of 7.5.x or 7.6.x on the TRM.

VA decisions for specific versions may include ‘+’ symbols; which denotes that the decision for the version specified also includes versions greater than what is specified but is not to exceed or affect previous decimal places.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 12.6.4+ would cover any version that is greater than 12.6.4, but would not exceed the .6 decimal ie: 12.6.401 is ok, 12.6.5 is ok, 12.6.9 is ok, however 12.7.0 or 13.0 is not.

<Past

CY2014

CY2015

CY2016

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

12.5

Approved w/Constraints
[2]

Approved w/Constraints
[3]

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 6, 7]

Divest
[4, 5, 6, 7]

Unapproved

12.5.4

Approved w/Constraints
[2]

Approved w/Constraints
[3]

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 6, 7]

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 6, 7, 8]

12.6.7

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 3]

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 6, 7]

Divest
[5, 6, 7, 8]

12.6.8

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 5, 6, 7]

Approved w/Constraints
[5, 6, 7, 8]

Decision Constraints


[1]	This Technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population.

[2]	There Symantec advisory issued on 4/9/2012 requires a new hotfix (http://www.symantec.com/security_response/securityupdates/detail.jsp?fid=security_advisory&pvid=security_advisory&year=2012&suid=20120301_00). The advisory recommends the following: Symantec released the latest version of pcAnywhere: pcAnywhere 12.5 SP4 and pcAnywhere Solution 12.6.7 which included many performance enhancements, all of the previous released security updates and enhancements to the security model of pcAnywhere. Symantec recommends all pcAnywhere users move to the latest release of their respective product. TECH182142 provides the most current updated hot fix information to include all available patches that have been released for Symantec pcAnywhere. If users have have already applied previous hot fixes they will still need to apply the latest TECH182142 hot fix. If users have NOT applied previous Symantec pcAnywhere 12.5 SP3 hot fixes, then the TECH182142 hot fixes must be installed. Additionall, since this application allows remote access to hosts, the application must be configured in accordance with the specific configurations as stated in the VA Firewall Configuration Requirements SOP. The requirements are as follows: pcANYWHERE software installed on VA workstations and servers must be configured in accordance with the Baseline Security Configuration Guide for pcAnywhere developed by OCIS. For remote desktop control only FIPS 140-2 validated remote control products such as pPcAnywhere and MS RDP (Terminal Services) operated in FIPS 140 mode in conjunction with One-VA VPN (IPSec or SSL) with two-factor authentication and auditing can be used for VA IT systems. Reference OMB Memo M-06-16, NIST FIPS 140-2 and various VA Memos and Directives.

[3]	The Symantec advisory issued on 4/9/2012 requires a new hotfix (http://www.symantec.com/security_response/securityupdates/detail.jsp?fid=security_advisory&pvid=security_advisory&year=2012&suid=20120301_00). The advisory recommends the following: Symantec released the latest version of pcAnywhere 12.5 SP4 and pcAnywhere Solution 12.6.7 which included many performance enhancements, and all of the previous released security updates and enhancements to the security model of pcAnywhere. Symantec recommends all pcAnywhere users move to the latest release of their respective product. TECH182142 provides the most current updated hot fix information to include all available patches that have been released for Symantec pcAnywhere. If users have already applied previous hot fixes, they will still need to apply the latest TECH182142 hot fix. If users have NOT applied previous Symantec pcAnywhere 12.5 SP3 hot fixes, then the TECH182142 hot fixes must be installed. Additionally, since this application allows remote access to hosts, the application must be configured in accordance with the specific configurations as stated in the VA Firewall Configuration Requirements SOP. The requirements are as follows: pcAnywhere software installed on VA workstations and servers must be configured in accordance with the Baseline Security Configuration Guide for pcAnywhere developed by OCIS. For remote desktop control, only FIPS 140-2 validated remote control products such as pcAnywhere and MS RDP (Terminal Services) operated in FIPS 140 mode in conjunction with One-VA VPN (IPSec or SSL) with two-factor authentication and auditing can be used for VA IT systems. Reference OMB Memo M-06-16, NIST FIPS 140-2 and various VA Memos and Directives.

[4]	Additional requirements are as follows: pcAnywhere software installed on VA workstations and servers must be configured in accordance with the Baseline Security Configuration Guide for pcAnywhere developed by OCIS (See Reference Section for more information). For remote desktop control only FIPS 140-2 validated remote control products such as pcAnywhere and MS RDP (Terminal Services) operated in FIPS 140 mode in conjunction with One-VA VPN (IPSec or SSL) with two-factor authentication and auditing can be used for VA IT systems. Reference OMB Memo M-06-16, NIST FIPS 140-2 and various VA Memos and Directives.

[5]	Due to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified security vulnerabilities, extra vigilance should be applied to ensure the versions remain properly patched to mitigate known and future vulnerabilities. The local ISO can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[6]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[7]	In cases where the technology is used for external connections, a full Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) review is required in accordance VA Directive 6004 , VA Directive 6517, and VA Directive 6513. The local ISO can advise on the ESCCB review process.

[8]	pcAnywhere software installed on VA workstations and servers must be configured in accordance with the Baseline Security Configuration Guide for pcAnywhere developed by Office of Cyber and Information Security (OCIS) (See Reference Section for more information). For remote desktop control only Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 validated remote control products such as pcAnywhere and Microsoft Remote Display Protocol (MS RDP) (Terminal Services) operated in FIPS 140 mode in conjunction with One-VA Virtual Private Network (VPN) [Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)] with two-factor authentication and auditing can be used for VA Information Technology (IT) systems. Reference Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Memo M-06-16, NIST FIPS 140-2 and various VA Memos and Directives.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description
There are no references identified for this entry.

Technology Components

Note: This list may not be complete. No component, listed or unlisted, may be used outside of the technology in which it is released. The usage decision for a component is found in the Decision and Decision Constraints.
Name	Description
No components have been identified for this entry.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Systems Management Systems Management Tools	Remote Desktop Management

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

macOS - Approved w/Constraints
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

No runtime dependencies have been identified.

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

Virtualization and Consolidation of Servers (Server Virtualize First)

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This is a mature technology.

Adoption Risks

This technology has reached its end-of-life date.
There are other approved solutions that provide similar functionality available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
This technology may utilize external data connections.
There are known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) and VA Network & Security Operations Center (NSOC) vulnerabilities.
The potential exists to store Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or VA Sensitive data and proper security standards must be followed in these cases.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is compatible with virtual machines, therefore consistent with the enterprise Server Virtualize First Policy (VAIQ 7266972 08-27-2012).
This technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-approved operating systems.

Inside VA

Budget and Performance

Inside the Media Room

National Observances

Special Events

VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (08/19/2019)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

CONNECT

VA HOME

QUICK LIST

RESOURCES

ADMINISTRATION

VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (08/19/2019)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

EMAIL UPDATES